I move to the next slides, which have images of previous weddings we’ve had at the inn and my proposals on what we can change for their celebration. An hour passes, and Andy and Maya ask numerous questions while sipping their coffee. Every time I tell them how we can personalize it to them, there’s a shine in Maya’s eyes that boosts my confidence.

God! They’re seriously considering the inn.

“What do you think?” I place the laser pointer on the table.

“This is all so impressive, Autumn. We weren’t expecting you to be so thorough on the first meeting.” Maya’s excitement is contagious. “Looking at all your plans, I can’t wait to get married.” She glances back at Andy, and when he gives her a subtle nod, she smiles. “We’d like to book the inn.”

I almost gasp. “You…don’t want to discuss…amongst yourselves?”

Is this really happening so easily?

Maya shakes her head. “You understood my plan for the wedding better than any other wedding planner possibly could. I want small but memorable. That’s it.”

“The only issue is to ensure that we don’t have unwanted media at your doorstep.” Andy looks between Lukas and me. There’s a seriousness on his face I’ve never seen on stage. “From what I hear, small towns are notorious for not being able to keep a secret.”

“You’ve heard perfectly right,” Chiara chirps. “Plus, there are already rumors that you’re interested in a small-town wedding. I won’t be surprised if our mayor has been working on some secret project to lure Maddy into Cherrywood.”

“Really?” Maya giggles, not realizing that Chiara is probably right. Mayor Harlow Cole is usually a woman on a mission, especially when it comes to our town’s gaining popularity.

“Are you bringing your own security?” Lukas asks.

Security? I hadn’t even considered it.

“We’ll bring some of our security, but we’re also in talks with a company in the area. They usually work in high-risk cases, but for us, they’re making an exception,” Andy comments, and in that same moment, Lukas’ phone vibrates on the table.

16. Lukas

16

LUKAS

I’m about to pocket my phone as it vibrates on the table, when I notice an email notification from Connor flashing on the screen with the subject, URGENT.

“I’m sorry, but I have to check this.” I read his one-line email while Andy continues to explain to Autumn about their security setup.

From: connorking

To: lukasspencer

Subject: URGENT

You might have already met Andy and Maya. You wanted work. There you go.

Crazy fucker.

“We’ll have more details for you this afternoon.” Andy tips his head toward the clock, and I’m sure Connor gave him a timeline of when he can expect to get a response from us.

“I assume you talked to Connor King.”